snapshot 1: To flee, or not to flee?

An alarm starts blazing at your new workplace! You rush to find an exit. But wait, everyone else seems utterly undisturbed. You pause, your panic slowly subsiding… What is going on? How can the behaviour of the people around you make your fear go away?

To understand how the social environment influences our behaviour in the face of danger, the Behavioural Neuroscience Lab decided to take a unique approach: search for the answer in the fruit fly! These insects offer a large collection of powerful genetic tools that enable the scientists to delve deep into the neural circuits that detect and process social cues.

The exhibit will be running throughout October 2017 at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown.

Video: The Neuroscience of Social Behaviour.

Liad Hollender works as a Science Writer at the Science Communication Office at Champalimaud Research